Genesis Framework – The WordPress Theme You Should Be Using

When I started my first WordPress site several years ago, I was bound and determined that free was the best option. I would not shell out the bucks for anything as long as there was a no-cost solution. Obviously the necessary things like a domain name and web hosting were paid for but pretty much anything else, forget it.

When it came time to choose a WordPress theme, of course I opted for the free ones out of the WordPress directory. After all, why should a person have to pay for a theme when WordPress itself is free?

Now, I won’t bore you with all the details but after wasting countless hours trying to find the perfect “free” theme, I decided a no-cost solution was not going to happen. You see, I am quite the perfectionist and every free theme I tried had something or a lack of something that I just couldn’t live with. Sometimes there were not enough widgets, or they were not in the right locations or the sidebar / header were the wrong size, or the colors were wrong and could not be configured, etc. Sound familiar?

If there’s one thing I have learned from my short experience online is, it’s okay to be frugal and try to find low or no cost solutions. Just keep in mind, money is something that can be earned and spent and earned again. Once time is spent, you never get it back. In other words, don’t be afraid to spend a few extra dollars to invest in a quality WordPress theme that will save you time instead of searching for the “perfect” free theme with questionable security.

Enter the Genesis Framework by Studiopress

For me, the Genesis theme took a little bit of getting used to because the format was a bit different than that of other themes I had used with prior. You see, pretty much everything is widget based. In other words, if you want an image slider on your homepage, you install a widget. If you want post excerpts to be a certain size, you install and configure a widget. This allows for “out-of-the-box” simplicity. However, with the numerous free plugins and widgets available for the Genesis themes, you can still customize your site the way you want it without having to search through hundreds of different settings. Not to mention, the speed of the site will also be faster because there is no unnecessary code to slow it down.

What’s this “Framework” stuff all about?

With the Genesis framework, you actually install two themes, the framework and the child theme. The framework is the heavy lifter of the two. It handles the majority of the behind the scenes tasks, site structure, SEO, etc. The child theme is mainly for cosmetics. It is the skin that visitors will see when they visit your site. The child themes can be easily interchanged while the majority of site structure settings remain intact within the Genesis framework.

How secure is the Genesis Theme?

I don’t know about you, but for me, website security is a BIG DEAL. Did you know that most of the time when a WordPress site gets hacked, it is due to security loopholes in outdated themes or plugins? With the Genesis framework, security updates are timely and painless. Studiopress’ team of expert WordPress developers work hard to ensure the Genesis Framework remains bulletproof and all the security best practices are followed.

Genesis is the perfect solution for multiple websites

Once you buy the Genesis framework, you won’t ever need to buy it again. You can install it on as many websites as you want. You can even export a file with all of your preferred theme settings to upload into your next site. This is a huge time saver if you build a lot of websites. Speaking of which, if you are in the business of building client sites, you’ll definitely want to check out the Pro Plus All-Theme Package which gives you access to the Genesis Framework, along with every current and future Studiopress child theme at a savings of nearly $1000.

What about support?

The Genesis theme is used by over 101,000 website owners so if you ever get stuck or need assistance, chances are very good that someone else has had the same problem. At least that is my experience anyway. This is where the Studiopress support forums really become useful as many experienced users and Studiopress moderators are there and ready to offer their expertise.

Still need more convincing? Check out this Genesis Framework video review I made a while back.

Justin is a blogger who enjoys social media and search engine marketing, video marketing and website/graphics design. He is an internet addict, and a jack of all trades. Justin's main blog is www.majormoneytips.com where he offers free money making tips for internet marketers, bloggers and online business owners.